Baby Barista
Designing Comfort for Sleep-Deprived Parents
Baby Barista is an innovative baby formula mixer and dispenser designed to simplify the lives of new parents. This smart device combines cutting-edge technology with thoughtful design. The product aims to bring joy to parenthood by addressing the challenges of preparing formulas, especially during those sleepless nights.
Designed a smart baby formula dispenser and companion app to reduce stress for parents.
Led end-to-end UX and branding across physical product, app, and packaging — all unified by a warm, intuitive visual system.
Enabled one-handed use, 30-second bottle prep, and remote-controlled scheduling through a human-centric app interface.
Mentored 2 junior designers while collaborating with researchers, engineers, and industrial designers.
Initial Findings
Cisco’s Commerce Workspace (CCW) combined 21 fragmented internal tools used by partners and internal users to configure, price, quote, order, and manage services/subscriptions Cisco solutions. These tools lacked UX consistency, had redundant features, and overwhelmed users with cluttered interfaces.
Stressful Nights, Clunky Tools
Formula preparation was exhausting for new parents, especially with machines that were unintuitive or hard to use in the dark.
Market Lacked an Emotionally Supportive Option
Most existing devices focused on function alone, ignoring the emotional stress and sensory overload parents experienced during nighttime feedings.
Mistakes and Abandonment Were Common
Parents often made errors during prep or gave up on using the devices altogether, reverting to manual mixing due to frustration and lack of confidence.
Formula Dispensers on the market at the time
How Might We
Design a formula dispenser that works flawlessly for sleep-deprived parents?
Combine emotional design with precise and reliable functionality?
Build a seamless experience across physical product, app, and brand that actually supports real parenting moments?
What We Had to Solve
Effortless Use
Design a formula dispenser that parents can operate with one hand, in the dark, while sleep-deprived, with minimal effort, and no instructions.
Brand Ecosystem Across Touchpoints
Craft a cohesive, emotionally resonant brand identity that connects the physical product, mobile app, and packaging with a sense of comfort and trust.
Smart Companion
Design a mobile app that supports remote scheduling, caregiver coordination, smart guidance, and without adding cognitive load for new parents.
How We Tackled It
01
Understanding Parents' Emotional and Functional Needs
We spoke with new parents, single parents, doctors, and nannies to understand what made feeding stressful. Many felt anxious, rushed, disoriented (especially during late-night routines), and feared not giving their babies the right nutrition. These stories grounded our design decisions in empathy, not just functionality.
02
Bringing Personas and Journeys to Life
We created three core personas (Claudia, Rachel, and Maggie) to reflect different parenting routines and emotional stress points. By mapping their journeys from formula prep to feeding, we uncovered moments of anxiety, especially during late-night use. These insights shaped a calmer, more supportive experience across both the product and app.
03
Establishing a Cohesive Brand Identity
We explored mood boards with warm tones, soft forms, and minimalist design language. The result was a brand that felt trustworthy, calming, and modern. Every visual touchpoint was designed to feel like a helping hand, not just a product.
04
Designing an Intuitive, One-Handed Interface
The product UI was crafted for bottle prep in 30 seconds using just one hand. Key features like temperature indicators and visual ratio guides were placed front and center. Even half-asleep parents could confidently make a bottle without needing a manual.
05
Developing the Companion Mobile App
We designed the app as a digital assistant with features like remote scheduling, bottle tracking, and caregiver alerts. Conversational prompts guided new parents through setup and feeding routines. The tone was gentle and helpful, like having a supportive voice by your side.
06
Validating with Real Parents
We ran multiple focus groups to test the emotional tone and usability of both product and app. Feedback led to key refinements in layout, copy, and functionality. What emerged was a solution that parents described as calming, clear, and confidence-boosting.
The Outcome
30 seconds
to Create a Perfect Bottle
1-handed
Interface and Mobile App
Smart Companion App
Remote scheduling, caregiver notifications, and guided prompts provided round-the-clock support.
Effortless Use
Design a formula dispenser that parents can operate with one hand, in the dark, while sleep-deprived, with minimal effort, and no instructions.
A Joyful Parenting Tool
The final product was positioned not just as a smart appliance but as a trusted partner for families.
What I Learned
Designing for Emotion and Function
This project taught me how to create brand and UX systems that comfort, guide, and empower, especially under stress.
From Insight to Ecosystem
Every touchpoint, from the dial screen to app alerts, traced back to user interviews and journey maps
Leading with Empathy
Working alongside junior designers, researchers, engineers, and parents, I learned how to champion both emotional design and cross-functional clarity.
